Swipe Buster was created as a means of raising awareness about online security
Swipe Buster is a new website that promises to expose cheating spouses, for a small fee.
The website is designed to allow users to find out if their partner is using the online dating app Tinder. For $5 (£3.48) users can put in a person’s name, age and location as parameters to search for online activity on dating apps like Tinder.
In an era of online anonymity, it has never been easier to engage in extramarital affairs. 2015’s Ashley Madison hack has shown how many people are drawn to online dating sites, but activity isn’t limited to adultery sites.
Millions of people use Tinder, the simple to use dating app that allows users to swipe left or right and only allows two people to communicate if they have ‘liked’ one another.
As with many dating sites, Tinder is steeped in anonymity, making it a perfect haven for discreet encounters, adulterous or otherwise. In a world where it has never been easier to hide your online behaviour from your spouse, Swipe Buster has cornered the market in paranoia and fatal curiosity.
This website is not a ‘hack’ though, and there is nothing illegal going on if you choose to use it. Swipe Buster works by using the application’s own API (Application Programme Interface) to traverse the database in order to find its target.
It was created initially as a means of raising awareness about online security. Educating people about how much of their personal information is ripe for the picking would go some ways to reducing the risk of an unwanted person or business getting their hands on it.
At $5 a pop, the site is making a tidy profit on suspicious minds, which it doesn’t have an issue promoting wholeheartedly.
However, the programme has been met with viable criticism, primarily from Tinder itself. Rather than damning the website or talking about a breach of privacy, a spokesperson from Tinder simply responded with the statement:
“Searchable information on the website is public information that Tinder users have on their profiles. If you want to see who’s on Tinder we recommend saving your money and downloading the app for free.”
With enough time and energy, one could potentially find what they’re looking for without paying any money.
The second issue with a site like this is that someone being a member of a Tinder is no indication that they are actively committing adultery.
It is apparent that Swipe Buster can only tell you whether a person is active in a particular area, rather than allowing access to private conversations through the API, and presence alone is no signifier of wrongdoing.
Tinder suggested that around 1.7% of its users are married, and even then, many people sign into the app out of curiosity or in order to meet new friends.
Adultery is still a big taboo in modern society, and technology has brought a mass of complications to the relationship gauntlet.
Is it morally acceptable for a company to capitalise on what are ultimately such private matters of trust and fidelity?
